Jornal Internacional de Medicina Física e Reabilitação
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Support Care Following Hospital Discharge: A Critical Unmet Need

Craig H. Lichtblau

Patients, who suffer catastrophic and non-catastrophic injuries, as well as debilitating diseases, are often left with physical and cognitive deficits that require support care following their hospital discharge. While the type and level of support varies according to the severity of the injury or the patient’s condition , receiving the appropriate level of care is critical to reducing morbidity and mortality, for improving quality of life for these patients, and for minimizing overall healthcare costs. Given that the costs of the necessary ongoing care for disabled persons can be exorbitant, it is critical that these costs be covered by insurance. Debilitated conditions that result from injury and disease should not bankrupt patients and their families and instead should be managed by insurance organizations that exist and are regularly funded for the specific purpose of helping people whose suffering is unanticipated. Currently, there is a gap between what is medically necessary and what insurance covers, leaving people to choose between paying for services they cannot afford or forgoing the care they require. By enabling physiatrists to define long-term care needs and implementing covered support care services, secondary complications and associated expenses can be avoided or quickly treated, driving down burdens on patients and the overall healthcare system.